Service Details

A memorial service will be held for Mary in Oregon on January 3 at 3:00 pm at the Poole-Larson Funeral Home, 1100 Charnelton, Eugene, Oregon. A second service will follow on January 9, time (TBD), at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Wesley Chapel, 13720 Roe in Leawood, Kansas. Mary will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Michael at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Overland Park, KS.

Funeral Company

Poole Larson Funeral Home

The Story

Mary Esther Craze Bragg, 69, passed away on December 29, 2015. Mary was born on June 17, 1946 in Cumberland, Maryland, an only child of William and Helen Craze. She attended West Virginia State University, where she met the love of her life, Michael Allen Bragg. Michael and Mary were married for 44 years together, raising two children and five grandchildren. They lived in Cumberland, Maryland; Antioch, California; and Overland Park, Kansas. After Michael’s death, Mary resided in Overland Park, KS until moving to Eugene, Oregon in 2014.

Mary worked as an elementary and ESL schoolteacher for the Blue Valley School District in Kansas, and before that, in California and Maryland. She devoted her life to children, as well as to her family and faith. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, McCall, Mary Madison, McClain, Lucy and Madeleine. She always had a kind word and generous spirit for those around her, whether at work, home or amongst friends. Mary loved fashion, traveling, and journaling. She doted on her husband, Michael, and their marriage was a true testament to the legacy of love.

Mary is survived by her son, Michael William Bragg, her daughter, Christina Lynn Smith, and her grandchildren, McCall Smith, Mary Madison Smith, McClain Smith, Lucy Bragg, Madeleine Bragg and soon-to-be grandchild Michael Fitzwilliam Bragg.

She will be remembered and loved by her family and friends always.